Westmount United Church is up for sale, leaving its congregation astray.
Linda Instance, the volunteer chair of the church council, says the church officially went up for sale this week. It's being listed for $2.9 million.
While the sale involves the United Church as part of the process, the decision to sell was made by the local congregation.
"We have only 15 people in the audience on a Sunday," Instance explained. "Our money is being depleted."
Several members of the congregation have died recently or moved to different congregations, Instance says.
"There is nobody new coming in. There are no young people in our church and people are turning against religion," she said.
When the church is sold, she says, the congregation will either join another church or members will disperse individually.
"Some of our congregation has already left because they know we are closing," she said. "They've looked for other opportunities and denominations."
Because of the senior demographic that attends Westmount United Church, Instance says it's unlikely the congregation could move to an online format.
"They don't have computers," she said, noting the congregation has been meeting since 1962 and the original members are now 70 or older.
In 2018, Regent Park United Church amalgamated with Westmount United Church. The Regent Park site was used for affordable housing units, accessible housing units, market rental units, and community initiatives such as a daycare centre and community gardens.
Instance suspects the same will happen to the Westmount site.
"Nobody could use our building," she said. "It's deteriorating beyond any kind of repair."
Instance, 74, says she remembers going to Westmount United Church when she was a child.
"It was very busy in the early days," she said. "There were so many people in the St. Paul's United Church, and that's why they built this one."
The glory days are long in the past. Instance says the congregation hasn't been able to afford a minister for the past three years.
If the congregation moves to another location, she suspects they will be able to take some of the money from the sale of the church with them.
"Most of the money will go to the United Church," she said. "If we need more funding wherever we land, then we would apply for it."
Those left in the congregation are "anxious" for the end.
"We knew this was coming for a long time," she said. "The volunteers have been working very hard to get this rolling. It's kind of a relief in some ways."
